Improvement in steam-valves



UNITED STATES,

GEORGE s. FAULKNER, OF STAFFORD, OONNEOTIOT, Ass-IGFORIOO.' EARLE, OF SPRINGFIELD, MAssAOnUsErTs; r f

IMPROVEMENTIN 4STEAM-"\'/\L\i/ES.`f` 2,

Specication forming part of Letters Patent N0.37,545, fdated January 2.7,` llliii.` ,l l

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. 'FAULKNER', of Stafford, in the county of Tolland and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Valves of Iteciproeating Motors; and I do hereby declare between the steam and water cylinders, showing an end view of steam-engine cylinder and the valve-chest. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the valvechest with the valve in it. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the valve-chest and valve. Fig. 5 is a top view, and Fig. 6 a bottom vlew,of the valve.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

-The distinctive property of my valve is the capability of its being moved longitudinally by it depends upon intermediate mechanical devices only for the necessary circular motionl which it makes in supplying and exhausting the steam, such mechanical devices being acted upon indirectly by the steam.

My invention relates to the valves of a steamcylinder for producing merely a reciprocating motion-that is, when the power produced by the movement of the steam-piston can be advantageously used without converting it into rotary motion by means of a crank or other device, and as the direct-acting steam-pump is the most common example of such a motion, I have represented my valve as so applied in the drawings accompanying these specifications.

In a direct-acting pump-namely, one in which the steam-piston and pump-piston are attached to the opposite ends of the same piston-rod, it is desirable to provide the steamcylinder with such a valve that it shall not be necessary to introduce a fly-wheel and shaft to assist in the operation of the valve-namely, in common terms, to carry it past the deadpoints, and also such a valve that, notwithstanding the steam is shut ott' at any point in themotion of the piston, the steam-'v falve'will` be'so situated that on letting-'on the' steam' it willimmediately operate to start'the pump without any from other sources.- Such a valve .I have contrived in so'simple a manner that'- the whole is comprised in o ne piece-` of cast-f iron, lplaced* in acircular steam-chest having? suitable inductionand exhaust-ports, and' thief operation ofthe'same during 'several months :of practicalexperiment with it has been very To enable others skilled in the artt'o make',i v and use myinvention, I will ]r )roceed-to"deI scribe the samefwith reference to the drawings'.

A is thewater-cylinder of the pump.,k B is the steam-engine cylinder, and (l the ste'am-l chest thereof. Thesteam-chest is simply an- 'other cylinder of VVsmaller diameter than B,-

bored straight throughfand having onitsl`lower side theinduction-ports DEv and 'the'I exhaust-port P, as in air-ordinary steam-cylinder valve-seat. g In its upper side are two ports," G H, through which steam, esvcapin g from the hollow valve I,"passes tomove the said'valveV back or forward in a longitudinal direction. the direct action of the steam upon it, While Y The valveI 'just mentioned, and! the only valve employed, consists of a hollow cylinder Ywith twoheads, and a rod,1K,-passing through it with extensions beyond the'heads, as shown. The surfaceof the valve being provided with various ports, wh-ichconnect with the interior ofthe valvefand also work in conjunction with the ports of the chest and the steam-cylinder. The ports and their uses I will now describe.

L is the main receiving-port and opening directly into the interior chamber ofthe valve and so situated as always to be wholly' or partially opposite the opening J in the chest C, through which the steam passes from the steam-pipe of the generator. M M are two ports passing entirely through the shell of the valve I, connecting the interior with the exterior, and through which steam passes into the ports D E, and thence into the enginecylinder. N is the main or body part of the exhaust-port, being a recess in the exterior of the shell of the valve I, but not cutting entirely through to the interiorr chamber. n n are branches of the port N, passing around the induction-ports on opposite sides, and thence around the valve-shell in directions perpendicular to its axis and opposite to each other, to the top of the valve-shell, and terminatin g with a short return branch, as at o o', each one falling a little short of coming to the top of the valve-shell-namely, to a line exactly opposite the center line through the ports M M N. P P are two ports equally distant the other side of this top center line and of the same length as the return branchesoo. At the inside end of each of these ports a communication, p p, is made with the interior of the valve.

Now, the operation is as follows: The valve being in the position seen in Figs. 3 and 4 narnely, the steam passing into the left-hand end of the engine cylinder through the port D-the port 0 is in communication with the port H in the top of the steam-chest, this port having served as an exhaust-port for the steam at the left of the valve I when it moved to its present position. Now, by a slight rotation of the valve on its axis, the port o is moved from under the port H, and the 'port P comes into connection with it and live steam irom the interior of the valve passes through the port H and forces the valve I to the other end of the chest, which it is free to do as by the rotation, which admitted the steam to this end, the exhaust-port G was brought into connection with the port P. Now, as the valve is thrown to the other end of the chestv the port D comes into connection with the branch n of the exhaust-port N, and this end is free to exhaust and the port 'n' comes into connection with the port E, and the righthand end of the cylinder commences to take steam.

' Thus by this peculiar combination of ports in the hollow cylindrical valve I, this one valve is enabled to accomplish the object desired with the addition of two ports, G H, in the inner circumference of the steam-chest and two extra passages, P P p p, in the hollow valve, and without any extra slide-valves or mechanical devices for sliding the one valve I. The steam pa-sses directly into the interior cham@ ber of the valve I, and then either escapes through the ports leading to the piston of the engine-cylinder, or through the ports leading into the ends of the steam-chest, but not through both at the same time. rPhe quantity of steam used for moving the valve longitudinally is exceedingly slight, compared with the quantity passed into the enginecylinder for moving the piston.

The valve I has its bearings on the extension ends of the rod passing through its axis, said ends playing in brass boxes. Thus the valve is relieved of much friction on its surace.

I will now describe my method of operating the valve to give it the circular motion necessary to bring its ports into proper relation to the ports ofthe chest and engine-cylinder.V

f is the piston-rod. g is an arm projecting horizontally from said rod. h is a lever pivoted at the center i, and having anv inclinedv plane, k 7c', at each end. l is a guide, arranged over the top of the arm g to keep it down in place. m is a rod connecting the end of lever h to the arm p3 on the end X of the rod Kot' the valve I. Now, as the piston-rod moves from right to left, the arm operates on the inclined plane 7c to depress one end of the lever h, and thus to turn the valve I, and when it moves back in the opposite direction the valve receives a corresponding turn, but in a converse direction.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The hollow cylindrical valve I, having the several ports arranged and combined, and operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

2. A steam-chest constructed with the ports D E l?4 and G H, and with a straight cylindric bore, in combination with a hollow cylindric Valve with the ports described, and fitted into said chest so that a steam-joint practically is formed substantially as set forth.

GEORGE S. FAULKNER.

Witnesses B. P. CoLToN, MILTON BRADLEY. 

